Strong Cast Trapped in Heavy Mythology

Read Time:5 Minute, 20 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Dune: Prophecy: The Complete First Season
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Genre: Epic, Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Year Released: 2024
Runtime: 6 x 1h episodes
Developed by: Diane Ademu-John, Alison Schapker
Showrunner(s): Alison Schapker
Cast: Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Chloe Lea, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Mark Strong, Jade Anouka, Edward Davis
Where to Watch: coming to 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 13, 2025. Order your copy here: www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: Galaxies can stretch across timelines, but meaning doesn’t always make the journey. That’s the core dilemma faced by DUNE: PROPHECY: SEASON 1, an ambitious prequel that dares to peer 10,000 years into the past, hoping to unearth the genesis of one of science fiction’s most cryptic tales. As a foundational chapter in a mythos already defined by dense philosophy and speculative theology, the series wants to say something profound. The question is whether it trusts its audience enough to let them hear it.

DUNE: PROPHECY chooses a slow burn, focusing on political maneuvering, ideological legacy, and a story about influence rather than force. But translating that into serialized television proves trickier than expected. The show splits its story across two timelines, following sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they rise within the newly formed order. While Valya, played with restraint by Emily Watson, operates like a political scalpel, Tula—Olivia Williams’ more emotionally transparent counterpart—offers a reflective balance. Their contrasting energies give the show its best moments, particularly when ideology clashes with emotion.

Flashbacks dominate large swaths of each episode, sometimes interrupting a scene just as it gains traction. These sequences fill in the backstory but also crowd out character evolution. It’s not that the dual timelines are a bad idea—they’re structurally sound in theory—but the execution compresses more than it elevates.

If there's a standout among the cast outside of the central sisters, it’s Travis Fimmel’s Desmond Hart. Mysterious and hard to pin down, his character adds needed volatility. He operates in the margins for much of the series, shifting the dynamic without revealing his cards. But just as that mystery begins to generate momentum, the show strips it away. Answers come too soon. It’s as though the writers fear ambiguity more than audience disinterest—an ironic miscalculation in a show about a secretive society.

That fear of withholding bleeds into the broader handling of lore. Instead of using the prequel format to challenge or interrogate the mythology, DUNE: PROPHECY treats its subject like sacred ground. The formation of the Bene Gesserit is presented with academic reverence, not tension. The show explains what they are and how they came to be, but rarely questions the why. That lack of critique undercuts the opportunity to complicate their motives or examine the ethical cost of their long-term goals.

Power here is built through generational strategy—bloodline shaping, ideological grooming, psychological influence. Rather than leaning into the unease of that power, the show often frames it as noble or destined. Even when internal dissent appears, it’s quickly absorbed into the status quo. There’s more moral ambiguity available in this premise than the show seems willing to explore.

The show successfully positions its central figures as more than accessories to a larger male-driven universe. Valya and Tula are not support beams for someone else’s heroism—they’re the architects of a system that will eventually control the fate of empires. And while their arcs sometimes buckle under the script’s need for information dumps, there’s no denying the strength of their presence.

The show also echoes familiar tricks from prestige television: big end-of-episode twists, looming betrayals, and high-stakes rituals. Sometimes, these lands. Other times, they feel like checkboxes. Tension builds and then disperses too quickly through character actions that don’t feel earned or plot turns that resolve too fast. This tendency to rush through or around emotional consequences keeps viewers at arm's length.

That ultimately holds DUNE: PROPHECY back from true narrative resonance. Some scenes should devastate, revelations that should reverberate, but they seldom do. Instead, the show builds toward an idea of importance without ever quite delivering on it. It suggests that this history matters deeply, but doesn’t always make that case scene-by-scene.

Still, this isn’t a failure for a first season—it’s an incomplete sketch. Strong ideas are floating in the mix, especially around legacy, the ethical grayness of influence, and the gendered dynamics of historical power. The series knows what it wants to do, and the strength is almost like a valley: It starts strong, dips in the middle episodes, and finishes stronger.

If DUNE: PROPHECY wants to evolve beyond a lore guide, it must pull back on the exposition. Trust the characters more. Let contradiction and uncertainty guide the plot rather than resolve it. The mythos is strong enough to hold those weightier ideas. It’s time the storytelling caught up.

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[photo courtesy of WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY HOME ENTERTAINMENT, HBO, LEGENDARY]

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